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Run Dong,1,2,* Min Liu,3,* Xiao-Xi Huang,4 Zheng Liu,4 Ding-Yuan Jiang,5 Hui-Juan Xiao,1 Jing Geng,5 Yan-Hong Ren,5 Hua-Ping Dai5 1Beijing Key Laboratory of Respiratory and Pulmonary Circulation Disorders, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory Medicine, Zhengzhou Central Hospital, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Beijing Key Laboratory of Respiratory and Pulmonary Circulation Disorders, Department of Medical Research, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital; National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases; Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hua-Ping DaiDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail daihuaping@ccmu.edu.cnBackground: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrotic interstitial pneumonia. And, oxidation/antioxidant imbalance plays an important role in the progress of IPF. Fullerene is considered to be a novel “structural” antioxidant. This study aimed to explore if water-soluble C60 (C60(OH)22) can exhibit antifibrotic activity in its antioxidant role.Methods: Healthy C57BL/6J mice were randomly grouped and induced pulmonary fibrosis by intratracheal injection of bleomycin.Results: The survival rate of mice was observed and found that 10mg/kg was the optimal dose of water-soluble C60 for pulmonary fibrosis. We observed that water-soluble C60 can alleviate the severity of pulmonary fibrosis by observing the chest computed tomography, pulmonary pathology, and content of collagen, alpha smooth muscle actin and fibronectin in lung. Compared with bleomycin group, ROS, the content of TNF-α in BALF, and the number of fibroblasts was significantly decreased and the number of type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells was increased after treatment with C60.Conclusion: Therefore, thanks to its powerful antioxidant action, water-soluble C60 can reduce the severity of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in mice.Keywords: pulmonary fibrosis, bleomycin, water-soluble C60, mice

Background: Before 1986, scrub typhus was only found endemic in southern China. Because human infections typically occur in the summer, it is called "summer type". During the autumn-winter period of 1986, a new type of scrub typhus was identified in Shandong and northern Jiangsu province of northern China. This newly recognized scrub typhus was subsequently reported in many areas of northern China and was then called "autumn-winter type". However, clinical characteristics of associated cases have not been reported.Methods: From 1995 to 2006, all suspected scrub typhus cases in five township hospitals of Feixian county, Shandong province were enrolled. Indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) was used as confirmatory serodiagnosis test. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) connected with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequence analyses were used for genotyping of O. tsutsugamushi DNAs. Clinical symptoms and demography of confirmed cases were analyzed.Results: A total of 480 scrub typhus cases were confirmed. The cases occurred every year exclusively between September and December with a peak occurrence in October. The case numbers were relatively higher in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2000 than in other years. 57.9% of cases were in the group aged 21-50. More cases occurred in male (56%) than in female (44%). The predominant occupational group of the cases was farmers (85.0%). Farm work was reported the primary exposure to infection in 67.7% of cases. Fever, rash, and eschar were observed in 100.0%, 90.4%, and 88.5% of cases, respectively. Eschars formed frequently on or around umbilicus, abdomen areas, and front and back of waist (34.1%) in both genders. Normal results were observed in 88.7% (WBC counts), 84.5% (PLT counts), and 89.7% (RBC counts) of cases, respectively. Observations from the five hospitals were compared and no significant differences were found.Conclusion: The autumn-winter type scrub typhus in northern China occurred exclusively from September to December with a peak occurrence in October, which was different from the summer type in southern China. In comparison with the summer type, complications associated with autumn-winter type scrub typhus were less severe, and abnormalities of routine hematological parameters were less obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of radiomic characteristics of magnetic resonance images to predict vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients., Methods: One hundred and twenty-four patients with HCC who underwent fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging (FS-T2WI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) one week before surgical resection were enrolled in this retrospective study. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate the expression level of VEGF. Radiomic features were extracted from the axial FS-T2WI, DCE-MRI (arterial phase and portal venous phase) images of axial MRI. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and stepwise regression analyses were performed to select the best radiomic features. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed and validated using tenfold cross-validation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, calibration curve analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA) were employed to evaluate these models., Results: Our results show that there were 94 patients with high VEGF expression and 30 patients with low VEGF expression among the 124 HCC patients. The FS-T2WI, DCE-MRI and combined MRI radiomics models had AUCs of 0.8713, 0.7819, and 0.9191, respectively. There was no significant difference in the AUC between the FS-T2WI radiomics model and the DCE-MRI radiomics model (p > 0.05), but the AUC for the combined model was significantly greater than the AUCs for the other two models (p < 0.05) according to the DeLong test. The combined model had the greatest net benefit according to the DCA results., Conclusion: The radiomic model based on multisequence MR images has the potential to predict VEGF expression in HCC patients. The combined model showed the best performance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To investigate the correlation between morphological typing and monoclonality of bone marrow plasma cells, and explore the diagnostic value of plasma cell morphological typing for high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma(HR-SMM)., Methods: The correlation between the morphological characteristics and the monoclonality of bone marrow plasma cells was analyzed in 84 patients with HR-SMM who treated in our hospital. The consistency of morphologically abnormal bone marrow plasma cells with serum free light chain (sFLC) ratio, next-generation sequencing (NGS) detection results, and its correlation with monoclonal plasma cells detected by flow cytometry (FCM) were further verified. The immunoglobulin types and levels of non-involved immunoglobulins in serum of the patients were detected, and the distribution of plasma cell clusters in patients with different disease was observed., Results: The mean percentage of mature plasma cells were decreased successively in the order of reactive plasmacytosis (RP) group, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) group, smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) group, HR-SMM group and multiple myeloma (MM) group; while the mean percentage of immature, primitive, reticular and flaming plasma cells were increased successively in the order of RP group, MGUS group, SMM group, and HR-SMM group, and the difference between any two groups was statistically significant ( P < 0.05).The average proportion of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow of HR-SMM patients was 96.2% of the total plasma cells. The proportion of abnormal plasma cells were in good agreement with the sFLC ratio and the results of NGS detection in HR-SMM patients (kappa=0.879 and kappa=0.891, both >0.75)，and showed good correlation with the monoclonal plasma cells with immunophenotype of CD45 - /CD38 + /CD138 + /CD56 + /CD19 - ( γ =0.825). The levels of non-involved immunoglobulin in IgG, IgA and IgM type HR-SMM patients were all decreased by more than 25% compared with the normal reference range, and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the distribution ratio of plasma cell clusters among different disease groups ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: In HR-SMM patients, the immature, primitive, reticular and flaming plasma cells in bone marrow are considered as abnormal plasma cells, and they are correlated with monoclonal plasma cells. The proportion of abnormal plasma cells in total plasma cells of bone marrow and the reduction extent of non-involved immunoglobulin level in patients have certain reference value for the diagnosis of HR-SMM.

An efficient and practical tandem reaction of 4-arylidene isoxazol-5-ones with enamino esters catalyzed by an inexpensive copper salt has been established in a ball mill. This innovative approach yields a diverse array of structurally novel pyrrole-2-carboxylic acids, showing excellent tolerance toward different functional groups. By integrating spiroannulation and ring-opening aromatization processes, this protocol introduces a facile and cost-effective strategy for synthesizing highly functionalized pyrrole derivatives.

Objective: To evaluate the occurrence of aortic dilatation and its associated predictors with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) in infants using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT)., Methods: The clinical data of 47 infantile patients with CoA diagnosed by MSCT and 28 infantile patients with simple ventricular septal defect were analyzed retrospectively. Aortic diameters were measured at six different levels, and aortic sizes were compared by z score. The coarctation site-diaphragm ratio was used to describe the degree of narrowing. Relevant clinical data were collated and analyzed., Results: The dilation rate and z score of the ascending aorta in the severe CoA group were significantly higher than those in the mild CoA group (11 [52.38%] vs. 21 [80.77%], P=0.038 and 2.00 ± 0.48 vs. 2.36 ± 0.43, P=0.010). Pearson's correlation analysis found that the z score of the ascending aorta was negatively correlated with the coarctation site-diaphragm ratio value (r=-0.410, P=0.004). A logistic retrospective analysis found that an increased degree of coarctation was an independent predictor of aortic dilatation (adjusted odds ratio 0.002; 95% confidence interval 0.00-0.819; P=0.043). The z score of the ascending aorta in the severe CoA group was significantly higher than that in the ventricular septal defect group (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Most infants with CoA can also have significant dilatation of the ascending aorta, and the degree of this dilatation is related to the degree of coarctation. Assessment of aortic diameter and related malformations by MSCT can predict the risk of aortic dilatation in infants with CoA.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common disorder in men and lacks effective treatment. Stem cell (SC) possess the potential in self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation, and secrete a variety of active substances. Stem cell therapy, as a promising option for the treatment of ED, is a focus in regenerative medicine research. However, the effect of stem cell therapy alone on ED is limited due to the complexity of the condition and the limitations of SC. Gene modification can enhance the performance of SC in multiple aspects and play the role of targeted genes, and therefore can better improve ED and its related pathological changes than SC therapy alone. In recent years, gene-modified stem cell therapy has become a hotspot in andrological research. This review summarizes the advances in the studies of gene-modified SC in the treatment of ED, aiming to provide some ideas for further research.

As one of the interesting signaling mechanisms, the in situ growth reaction on a photoelectrode has proven its powerful potential in photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis. However, the specific interaction between the signaling species with the photoactive materials limits the general application of the signal mechanism. Herein, on the basis of an in situ growth reaction on a photoelectrode of single-atom-based photoactive material, a general PEC immunoassay was developed in a split-type mode consisting of the immunoreaction and PEC detection procedure. Specifically, a single-atom photoactive material that incorporates Fe atoms into layered Bi 4 O 5 I 2 (Bi 4 O 5 I 2 -Fe SAs) was used as a photoelectrode for PEC detection. The sandwich immunoreaction was performed in a well of a 96-well plate using Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as signal tracers. In the PEC detection procedure, the Ag + converted from Ag NPs were transferred onto the surface of the Bi 4 O 5 I 2 -Fe SAs photoelectrode and thereafter AgI was generated on the Bi 4 O 5 I 2 -Fe SAs in situ to form a heterojunction through the reaction of Ag + with Bi 4 O 5 I 2 -Fe SAs. The formation of heterojunction greatly promoted the electro-hole separation, boosting the photocurrent response. Exemplified by myoglobin (Myo) as the analyte, the immunosensor achieved a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10 -11 to 5.0 × 10 -8 g mL -1 with a detection limit of 3.5 × 10 -12 g mL -1 . This strategy provides a general PEC immunoassay for disease-related proteins, as well as extends the application scope of in situ growth reaction in PEC analysis.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) of the heart are rarely observed in the eldly. We report a case involving an elderly woman with an IMT situated on the right atrial wall. The tumor was fully excised. The patient had a smooth recovery post-surgery and remained free of recurrence for three years., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Ultrasensitive analytical methods are still urgent for the discovery of trace level biomarkers and the early clinical diagnosis of disease. In this work, an ultrasensitive universal sensing platform was constructed by integrating fluorescent assay with chemical-chemical redox cycling signal amplification strategy. Using Ru@SiO 2 nanoparticles wrapped by MnO 2 nanosheets (Ru@SiO 2 @MnO 2 ) as fluorescent probe, the chemical-chemical redox cycling system was conducted upon ascorbic acid (AA) and tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) as reductants and MnO 2 nanosheets as oxidant. The MnO 2 nanosheets not only could quench the fluorescence of Ru@SiO 2 nanoparticles to reduce the background, but also could serve as oxidants to react with AA, generating dehydroascorbic acid (DHA). The DHA was reduced by TCEP in turn to form AA that participated in the next cycling of chemical-chemical redox reaction. Thus, the constantly released AA from the chemical-chemical redox cycling system could massively etch MnO 2 nanosheets on Ru@SiO 2 surface, making the fluorescence of Ru@SiO 2 nanoparticles greatly recovered. It was shown that the sensitivity of the fluorescent assay was improved almost 52 times by utilizing the chemical-chemical redox cycling signal amplification strategy. This strategy was further employed to detect DNA methylation with the aid of AA-encapsulated liposomes that were modified with 5 mC antibodies to bind with the methylated DNA captured in 96-well plate. A detection of limit down to 16.2 fM was achieved for the detection of methylated DNA. It's believed that the incorporation of chemical-chemical redox cycling signal amplification strategy into fluorescent sensing paves a new way for ultrasensitive detection of biomarkers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA) in detecting the size and location of ventricular septal defects (VSD) in infants., Methods: Data from 258 infants diagnosed with VSD between January 2020 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All infants underwent both TTE and cardiac CTA. The accuracy of these imaging modalities was assessed by comparing their findings with intraoperative observations of VSD size and location., Results: Intraoperatively, the average VSD size was 6.1 ± 2.5 mm. The defects were classified as committed VSD (Type 1) in 45 patients, noncommitted VSD (Type 2) in 198 patients, inlet VSD (Type 3) in 12 patients, and muscular VSD (Type 4) in 3 patients. Echocardiography estimated the average VSD size at 5.6 ± 2.7 mm, with 42 patients identified as Type 1, 203 as Type 2, 10 as Type 3, and 3 as Type 4. Cardiac CTA estimated the average size at 5.9 ± 3.2 mm, with 48 patients identified as Type 1, 196 as Type 2, 11 as Type 3, and 3 as Type 4. The accuracy rates of TTE and cardiac CTA in diagnosing VSD location were 98.1% and 98.8%, respectively. A survey of surgeons indicated that 80% believe both TTE and cardiac CTA are essential preoperative evaluations., Conclusions: TTE accurately diagnoses the size and location of VSD, while cardiac CTA serves as a valuable complementary method to TTE. Most surgeons advocate for the combined use of these examinations for preoperative assessment., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and related factors of corticosteroid induced adrenal crisis (AC) in children with primary nephrotic syndrome (NS). Methods: Case control study. The case group included 7 children aged 1 to 18 years with NS combined with AC hospitalized in Peking University First Hospital from January 2016 to May 2021 (AC group). According to the ratio of case group: control group 1: 4, 28 children aged 1 to 18 years who were diagnosed with NS without AC during the same period were matched as controls (non-AC group). Clinical data were collected. The clinical characteristics of AC were described. The clinical parameters were compared between the 2 groups by t test, Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher's test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the cutoff values of clinical parameters for prediction of AC. Results: The AC group included 4 boys and 3 girls aged 6.9 (4.6, 10.8) years. The non-AC group included 20 boys and 8 girls aged 5.2 (3.3, 8.4) years. All AC events occurred during the relapse of NS with infection. Seven children had gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Six children had poor mental state or impaired consciousness. No significant differences in NS course, corticosteroid treatment course, corticosteroid type, steroid dosage, steroid medication interval, the proportion of gastroenteritis and fever existed between the two groups (all P >0.05). Compared with the non-AC group, the duration from the onset of the relapse of NS until hospitalization in the AC group was significantly shorter (0.2 (0.1, 0.6) vs. 1.0 (0.4, 5.0) month, U =25.50 , P =0.005). The 24 h urinary total protein (UTP) level was significantly higher in the AC group (193 (135, 429) vs. 81 (17, 200) mg/kg, U =27.00 ,P =0.036) than the non-AC group. The serum albumin level in the AC group was significantly lower((13.1±2.1) vs. (24.5±8.7) g/L, t= -6.22, P <0.001) than the non-AC group. There were significantly higher total white blood cell counts ((26±9)×10 9 vs. (11±5)×10 9 /L, t= 4.26, P =0.004), percentage of neutrophils (0.71±0.08 vs. 0.60±0.19, t= 2.56, P =0.017) and the proportion of children with C reactive protein level≥8 mg/L (3/7 vs. 0, P =0.005) in the AC group than in the non-AC group. ROC curve analysis showed that the cutoff value of 24 h UTP was 122 mg/(kg·d) with a sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 70.4%. The cutoff value of serum albumin was 17.0 g/L with a sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 82.1%. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal symptoms and poor mental state were prominent manifestations of AC in children with NS. High 24 h UTP level, low serum albumin level, high peripheral white blood cell counts, high neutrophils percentage, and high C-reactive protein level during the early stage of NS relapse may be related to the occurrence of AC in children with NS.

Objective: To investigate the accuracy of aortic dimensions measured by Revolution™ computed tomography (CT) in infants with complex coarctation of the aorta (CoA) and to further analyze the utility of the degree of CoA in predicting the risk of prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay., Methods: A total of 30 infants with complex CoA who underwent surgical correction from January 2020 to July 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. General demographic data, preoperative imaging, and perioperative outcomes were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate predictors of prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay, and the reliability of the CT measurements was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient., Results: All infants were divided into a mild or severe CoA group. The duration of mechanical ventilation and cardiac intensive care unit stay in the mild CoA group were significantly lower than those in the severe CoA group. After multivariate analysis, we found that the degree of CoA and age at surgery were significant predictors of prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay. The intraclass correlation coefficient between CT measurements and intraoperative measurements was between 0.937 and 0.975, and the measurement results had good reliability., Conclusion: CT angiography can provide a comprehensive and accurate preoperative evaluation of aortic dimensions measured in infants with complex CoA. The degree of CoA is an independent risk factor for prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay in infants with complex CoA.

Some patients who present with a "fever" may only have a localized increase in body surface temperature, while their core body temperature remains normal. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as pseudo fever. A retrospective analysis of clinical data from January 2013 to January 2020 at our fever clinic showed that 66 adolescents were diagnosed with pseudo fever. These patients typically showed a gradual increase in axillary temperature after their cold symptoms had disappeared. Most patients reported no significant complaints other than mild dizziness. Laboratory tests showed no significant abnormalities, and antipyretics were ineffective in lowering their body temperature. Pseudo fever is a relatively independent clinical phenomenon that is distinct from functional fever or simulated fever, and its underlying mechanism remains to be studied.

Protective forests are the ecological barriers of oases in arid sand areas and can effectively prevent and control wind and sand hazards. The structural characteristics of individual trees, as the basic unit of protective forests, are the key factors affecting the protective benefits. With the typical leafless tree species of Ulan Buh Desert oasis, i.e. , Populus alba var. pyramidalis , Populus nigra var. thevestina , and Populus popularis , as the research objects, and by using the ground-based LiDAR and through computational fluid dynamics (CFD), we fully explored the structural characteristics of individual trees and their surrounding aerodynamic characteristics on the basis of real 3D models. We further established the relationship between structural parameters of individual trees and wind field index. The results showed that combining AdQSM and MeshLab to build tree models had high accuracy. The wind field around the individual trees could be roughly divided into six regions, including the attenuation zone of the windward side of the plant, the acceleration zone at the top of the plant, the eddy zone, the calm zone, the transition zone, and the recovery zone of leeward side of the plant. The pressure field around individual trees showed a gradual change of high pressure on the windward side to low pressure on the leeward side. Horizontally, in the range of 20% to 50% reduction in relative wind speed, the effective protection distances were 0.21H-1.51H, 0.20H-0.91H, and 0.25H-1.64H (H was the corresponding tree height) for P. alba var. pyramidalis , P. nigra var. thevestina , and P. popularis , corresponding to effective protection areas of 18-294, 15-227, and 18-261 m 2 , respectively. The maximum wind speed decay rate in the vertical direction was at 0.3H height for P. alba var. pyramidalis and P. popularis , and was reflected at 0.5H height for P. nigra var. thevestina . The correlation and stepwise regression analysis of the single tree structure parameters with the wind field indicators clearly indicated that optical porosity and volume porosity dominated the protection effect. Among the wind field factors, the best regression models related to the porous coefficient were screened for three factors, including diameter at breast height, tree surface area, and optical porosity. The regression variables screened for effective protection distance and effective protection area differed among the classes.

We examined the growth decline and health status of farmland protective forest belt ( Populus alba var . pyramidalis and Populus simonii shelterbelts) in Ulanbuh Desert Oasis by using airborne hyperspectral and ground-based LiDAR to collect the hyperspectral images and point cloud data of the whole forest belt respectively. Through correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis, we constructed the evaluation model of the decline degree of farmland protection forest with the spectral differential value, vegetation index, and forest structure parameters as independent variables and the tree canopy dead branch index of the field survey as dependent variables. We further tested the accuracy of the model. The results showed that the evaluation accuracy of the decline degree of P. alba var. pyramidalis and P. simonii by LiDAR method was better than that by hyperspectral method, and that the evaluation accuracy of the combined LiDAR and hyperspectral method was the highest. Using the LiDAR method, hyperspectral method, the combined method, the optimal model of P. alba var. pyramidalis was all light gradient boosting machine model, with the overall classification accuracy being 0.75, 0.68, 0.80, and Kappa coefficient being 0.58, 0.43, 0.66, respectively. The optimal model of P. simonii was random forest model, random forest model, and multilayer perceptron model, with the overall classification accuracy being 0.76, 0.62, 0.81, and Kappa coefficient being 0.60, 0.34, 0.71, respectively. This research method could accurately check and monitor the decline of plantations.

Objective: To assess aortic dilatation and determine its related factors in infants with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) by using computed tomography angiography (CTA)., Methods: The clinical data of 55 infantile patients with CoA diagnosed by CTA were analyzed retrospectively. Aortic diameters were measured at six different levels and standardized as Z scores based on the square root of body surface area. The results of simple and complex CoA were compared. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the effects of sex, age, hypertension, degree of coarctation, CoA type, bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), and other factors related to aortic dilatation., Results: In total, 52 infant patients with CoA were analyzed, including 22 cases of simple CoA and 30 cases of complex CoA. The ascending aorta of the infants in the simple CoA group and the complex CoA group were dilated to different degrees, but the difference was not statistically significant (50.00% vs. 73.33%, P = 0.084, and 2.05 ± 0.40 vs. 2.22 ± 0.43 P = 0.143). The infants in the complex CoA group had more aortic arch hypoplasia than those in the simple CoA group (33.33% vs. 9.09%, P = 0.042). Compared to the ventricular septal defect (VSD) group, the Z score of the ascending aorta in the CoA group was significantly higher than that in the VSD group ( P = 0.023 and P = 0.000). A logistic retrospective analysis found that an increased degree of coarctation (CDR value) was an independent predictor of ascending aortic dilatation (adjusted OR = 0.002; P = 0.034)., Conclusion: Infants with simple or complex CoA are at risk of ascending aortic dilatation, and the factors of ascending aortic dilatation depend on the degree of coarctation. The risk of aortic dilatation in infants with CoA can be identified by CTA., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Xiao, Zhan, Huang, Huang and Lin.)

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the degree of aortic coarctation and surgical prognosis in infants with simple coarctation of the aorta (CoA) using computed tomography angiography (CTA)., Methods: This study was a retrospective study. Twenty-seven infants with simple CoA who underwent surgical correction from January 2020 to June 2022 were enrolled. Aortic diameters were measured at five different levels and normalized to Z scores based on the square root of body surface area. The relevant data were collected and analyzed, and the predictors associated with surgical outcome were determined., Results: Patients were divided into the mild CoA group and the severe CoA group according to the severity of coarctation. The mechanical ventilation duration and the length of ICU stay in the mild CoA group were significantly lower than those in the severe CoA group. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that the degree of aortic coarctation was a significant risk factor for a prolonged postoperative ICU stay. In addition, gestational age and age at operation were risk factors for a prolonged postoperative ICU stay. Correlation analysis showed that the degree of aortic coarctation correlated with the Z scores of the ascending aorta and postcoarctation aorta., Conclusion: The degree of the CoA is an important predictor of surgical outcomes in infants with simple CoA and was significantly correlated with the ascending aorta and postcoarctation aorta Z scores. Therefore, preoperative CTA should be routinely performed to assess the degree of aortic coarctation and better identify risk factors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 Xiao, Zhan, Huang, Huang and Lin.)

Objective: To explore the accuracy and image quality of wide-detector revolution CT angiography combined with prospective ECG-triggered CT angiography in the diagnosis of congenital aortic arch anomalies in Chinese children., Methods: From January 2020 to July 2022, the clinical data of 57 children with congenital aortic arch anomalies confirmed by surgery were collected. All patients underwent CT angiography (CTA) with Revolution CT and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before the operation. The accuracy of CTA and TTE in the diagnosis of aortic arch anomalies was compared with the surgical results., Result: The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of CTA and TTE for congenital aortic arch anomalies (including intracardiac and extracardiac structural abnormalities) were 92.2% and 85.5%, 99.4%, and 99.1%, 97.4% and 95.6%, 98.1% and 96.9%, and 97.2% and 95.2%, respectively. Regarding extracardiac structural malformations, the sensitivity of CTA was 100%, whereas that of TTE was 78.6% ( P  < 0.001). Regarding intracardiac structural malformations, the sensitivity of CTA was 84.5%, whereas that of TTE was 92.5% ( P  < 0.001). Regarding satisfaction with the images in aortic arch anomalies, surgeons noted that the CTA images were more useful for diagnosis and operation planning compared with TTE., Conclusion: Wide-detector revolution CT angiography combined with prospective ECG triggering can be routinely used to assess congenital aortic arch anomalies, providing adequate image quality and high diagnostic accuracy. However, limitations in the identification of intracardiac structural abnormalities are noted., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 Xiao, Zhan, Huang, Huang and Lin.)

Objective: To assess the reliability of estimated urine protein to predict 24 h urine protein excretion in children with glomerular diseases. Methods: Four hundred and forty-three children with glomerular diseases, who were admitted to pediatric department of Peking University First Hospital from January 2001 to December 2021, were enrolled in the cross-sectional study. The 24 h estimated urine creatinine which calculated by 6 previously described equations, 24 h measured urine creatinine, measured urine protein-to-creatinine ratio(UPCR), 24 h urine protein (24 hUP) and urinary sediment analysis with microscopy were collected, estimated urine protein was computed as the product of measured UPCR and estimated or measured 24 h urine creatinine. Spearman correlation analysis, Bland-Altman analysis and linear regression analysis were used to compare the correlation, agreement and accuracy between estimated urine protein and 24 hUP, and the effect of urinary protein level and erythrocyte numbers on their relationship was analyzed. Results: Of 443 children with glomerular diseases (aged (11±4) years, 221 male, 222 female), there were 216 participants with nephrotic syndrome, 78 participants with IgA nephropathy, 47 participants with Alport syndrome, 42 participants with lupus nephritis, 58 participants with purpura nephropathy, and 2 participants with isolated proteinuria. Spearman correlation analysis showed a strong correlation between estimated urine protein and 24 hUP ( r =0.90, P <0.05), and the correlation improved after multiplying the measured UPCR by 24 h measured urine creatinine ( r =0.94, P <0.05). Improved correlation was also observed using the estimated urine creatinine which calculated by Hellerstein formula, Ghazali-Barratt formula, Ellam formula, Walser formula, Cockcroft-Gault formula, Ix formula ( r =0.93, 0.94, 0.90, 0.90, 0.94, 0.93, all P <0.05).Bland-altman analysis showed that the difference between measured UPCR and 24 hUP was (-0.30±2.22) g, consistency limit was -4.65-4.04, and the consistency improved after 24 h measured urine creatinine correction (difference was (0.27±1.31) g, consistency limit -2.30-2.84). The consistency of estimated urine protein was further improved after correction by different formulas, and the Cockcroft-Gault formula showed the best consistency between estimated urine protein and 24 hUP (difference was (0.11±1.18)g, consistency limit was -2.20-2.42). Linear regression analysis showed that measured UPCR had poor accuracy in predicting 24 hUP ( R 2 =0.55, α =0.48, β =0.60, P <0.05), and the accuracy improved after 24 h measured urine creatinine correction, the accuracy of estimated urine protein for predicting 24 hUP was further improved by using different formulas, and Cockcroft-Gault formula was the best ( R 2 =0.81, α =0.18, β =0.96, P <0.05). With the increase of urinary protein level and the decrease of urinary erythrocyte numbers, the correlation, agreement and accuracy between estimated urine protein and measured UPCR and 24 hUP were improved(all P <0.05). Except Ellam and Ix formulas, estimated urine protein using the rest four formulas outperformed measured UPCR(all P <0.05). Conclusion: The 24 h urine creatinine excretion rate (obtained by the Cockcroft-Gault equation)-weighted urine protein-to-creatinine ratio more reliably predicts 24 hUP than measured UPCR alone in children with glomerular diseases.

Understanding the changes and influencing factors of soil organic carbon density (SOCD) during the conversion of uncultivated natural soil to croplands is of great significance for the assessment of carbon sequestration in arid areas. In this study, we compared SOCD in the uncultivated soil and that in croplands with different cultivation years (2-5, 12-15, 25-30, 40-50 years) in the Northeastern Ulan Buh Desert. The change of SOCD and its influencing factors at 0-2 m soil depth during the conversion of uncultivated natural soil to croplands were explored by the method of replacing time with space. The results showed that SOCD at the shallow soil depth (0-0.4 m) in croplands increased continuously with cultivation years, but basically at low levels (0.990-1.983 kg·m -2 ). The SOCD at deep soil (1.2-2 m) increased in the croplands with longer cultivation years (25-30 and 40-50 years), whereas no obvious change trends in both the croplands with shorter cultivation years (2-5 and 12-15 years) and the uncultivated natural soil. The SOCD at deep soil (1.2-2 m) were relatively large (28.9%-38.6%) of the 0-2 m soil depth of uncultivated natural soil and croplands with different cultivation years. The vertical distribution of SOCD in croplands with different cultivation years were well fitted by quadratic functions (with R 2 ranging from 0.757 to 0.972). It was noteworthy that soil clay and silt contents had dominant influences on SOCD at all the soil profile (0-2 m), and that cultivation years mainly contributed to the accumulation of SOC at the shallow soil (0-0.4 m).

Objective: To assess the correlation of glomerular C1q or IgA deposition with clinical and pathological features of primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) in children. Methods: The clinical and pathological manifestations including (phospholipase A2 receptor, PLA2R) and IgG subclasses staining in renal biopsies, serum anti-PLA2R antibody and therapeutic response of 33 children diagnosed with PMN in Peking University First Hospital from December 2012 to December 2020 were retrospectively summarized and analyzed. According to results of PLA2R test and findings renal pathological, the patients were divided into PLA2R-related group and non-PLA2R-related group, typical MN group and atypical MN group, C1q deposit group and non-C1q deposit group, as well as IgA deposit group and non-IgA deposit group respectively. T-test, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact probability test were used for comparison between the groups. Results: Among the 33 children with PMN, there were 20 males and 13 females, of that the age of onset was 11 (8, 13) years, and 32 patients had nephrotic level proteinuria. Renal biopsies were performed at 4.6 (2.1, 11.6) months after onset, and 28 patients (85%) received glucocorticoid or immunosuppressive therapy prior to renal biopsy. There were 20 cases (61%) with PLA2R-related MN and 13 cases (39%) with non-PLA2R-related MN. Compared with the non-PLA2R-related group, the PLA2R-related group had an older age of onset (12 (10, 13) vs. 7 (3, 12) years, Z=- 2.52, P= 0.011), a lower preceding infection rate (45% (9/20) vs . 11/13, P= 0.032) and lower spontaneous remission rate (0 vs . 4/13, P= 0.017). Renal PLA2R positivity was significantly associated with predominant or co-deposition of IgG4 (13/17 vs. 5/15, P =0.031) and low albumin levels at renal biopsy ((25±6) vs. (29±7) g/L, t= 2.14, P= 0.041). There were 12 patients with typical PMN and 21 patients with atypical PMN, and no significant difference in clinical and pathological manifestations was found between these 2 groups (all P >0.05). There were 10 cases (32.3%) with glomerular C1q deposition, and their disease course before renal biopsy was significantly shorter than those without C1q deposition (1.8 (0.8, 5.9) vs. 6.0 (2.5, 22.3) months, Z=- 2.27, P= 0.023). Twelve cases (36.4%) had glomerular IgA deposition, and their course of disease,clinical and pathological manifestations were not significantly different from those without IgA deposition (all P >0.05). Conclusion: Glomerular C1q or IgA deposition may not affect the clinical manifestations, glomerular PLA2R and IgG subclasses staining pattern, or the response to treatment of PMN in children.

Background: β -Catenin has been recently identified as a promising novel therapeutic target and prognostic marker in different types of cancer. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis to better clarify the correlation between β -Catenin expression and survival outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Patients/methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items or Systematic Reviews Meta Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang databases were systematically searched for relevant studies to explore the prognostic significance of β -Catenin in NPC. Pooled hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the association of β -Catenin expression with survival outcomes in NPC patients. Odd ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for clinicopathological characteristics were also statistically analyzed. Results: Eight studies involving 1,179 patients with NPC were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis indicated that elevated β -Catenin expression was significantly associated with poor OS (HR = 2.45, 95% CIs: 1.45-4.16, p = 0.001) and poor DFS/PFS (HR 1.79, 95% CIs: 1.29-2.49, p = 0.000). Furthermore, β -cadherin was signifcantly associated with higher TMN stages (OR = 5.10, 95% CIs 2.93-8.86, p = 0.000), clinical stages (OR = 5.10, 95% CIs 2.93-8.86, p = 0.000) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) (OR = 5.01, 95% CIs 2.40-10.44, p = 0.000). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that for NPC, patients with elevated β -Catenin expression are more likely to have poor survival., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhou, Shen, Zhou, Li, Hu and Xiao.)

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are conserved proteins that play key roles in organismal adaptation to adversity stressors. However, little is known about sHSPs during summer diapause. Three sHSP genes: PmHSP19.5, PmHSP19.9, and PmHSP20.0 were identified and cloned from Pieris melete. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the three sHSPs have a typical, conserved α-crystallin domain. PmHSP19.5 and PmHSP20.0 were both upregulated in summer diapause (SD) and winter diapause (WD), compared to non-diapause (ND) pupae. All three sHSPs were upregulated and showed similar trends in response to thermal stress. The 0 °C chilling treatment slightly affected sHSP transcripts in ND pupae, whereas both PmHSP19.5 and PmHSP19.9 were upregulated and PmHSP20.0 was downregulated after chilling at 0 °C for 24-96 h in both SD and WD pupae. The transcripts of PmHSP19.5 and PmHSP19.9 were significantly induced at 31 °C for 30 d in SD and WD pupae. The PmHSP20.0 transcript gradually decreased during the SD and WD programs. This is the first time that sHSPs have been linked to both overwintering and summer diapause processes. These findings suggest that sHSPs are involved in both summer and winter diapause maintenance and play a possible key role in temperature stress., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel signal-increased photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor for l-cysteine (L-Cys) was proposed based on the Bi 2 MoO 6 -Bi 2 S 3 heterostructure formed in situ on the indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode. To fabricate the PEC biosensor, Bi 2 MoO 6 nanoparticles were prepared by a hydrothermal method and coated on a bare ITO electrode. When L-Cys existed, Bi 2 S 3 was formed in situ on the interface of the Bi 2 MoO 6 /ITO electrode by a chemical displacement reaction. Under the visible light irradiation, the Bi 2 MoO 6 -Bi 2 S 3 /ITO electrode exhibited evident enhancement in photocurrent response compared with the Bi 2 MoO 6 /ITO electrode, owing to the signal-increased sensing system and the excellent property of the formed Bi 2 MoO 6 -Bi 2 S 3 heterostructure such as the widened light absorption range and efficient separation of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. Under the optimal conditions, the sensor for L-Cys detection has a linear range from 5.0 × 10 -11 to 1.0 × 10 -4  mol L -1 and a detection limit of 5.0 × 10 -12  mol L -1 . The recoveries ranging from 90.0% to 110.0% for determining L-Cys in human serum samples validated the applicability of the biosensor. This strategy not only provides a method for L-Cys detection but also broadens the application of the PEC bioanalysis based on in situ formation of photoactive materials., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Xiao, Liao, Wang, Ren, Cao and Liu.)

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have played very important roles in the malignancy behaviors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LncRNA LOC554202 (LOC554202) was a newly identified tumor-related lncRNA. However, its expression and function in HCC remained unknown. In this study, we firstly reported that LOC554202 expression was distinctly upregulated in HCC specimens and cell lines. Clinical assays indicated that increased LOC554202 expression had a diagnostic value for HCC patients and was positively associated with advanced stages and poor clinical prognosis. Additionally, forkhead box O3(FOXO3) could bind directly to the LOC554202 promoter region and activate its transcription. Functionally, we observed that knockdown of LOC554202 suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progress of HCC cells, and promoted apoptosis. Mechanistically, LOC554202 competitively bound to miR-485-5p and prevented the suppressive effects of miR-485-5p on its target gene basigin (BSG), which finally led to HCC metastasis, EMT, and docetaxel chemoresistance. Our data demonstrated that FOXO3-induced LOC554202 contributed to HCC progression by upregulating BSG via competitively binding to miR-485-5p, which suggested that the regulation of the FOXO3/LOC554202/miR-485-5p/BSG axis may have beneficial effects in the treatment of HCC., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. part of Springer Nature.)

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications play an essential role in tumorigenesis. These modifications modulate RNAs, including mRNAs and lncRNAs. However, the prognostic role of m6A-related lncRNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is poorly understood. Based on LASSO Cox regression, enrichment analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, a prognostic risk model, and consensus clustering analysis, we analyzed 12 m6A-related lncRNAs in HNSCC sample data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We found 12 m6A-related lncRNAs in the training cohort and validated them in all cohorts by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses, revealing their independent prognostic value in HNSCC. Moreover, ROC analysis was conducted, confirming the strong predictive ability of this signature for HNSCC survival. GSEA and detailed immune infiltration analyses revealed specific pathways associated with m6A-related lncRNAs. In this study, a novel risk model including twelve genes (SAP30L-AS1, AC022098.1, LINC01475, AC090587.2, AC008115.3, AC015911.3, AL122035.2, AC010226.1, AL513190.1, ZNF32-AS1, AL035587.1 and AL031716.1) was built. It could accurately predict HNSCC outcomes and could provide new therapeutic targets for HNSCC patients., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Nitrogen reduction combined with organic materials is an important measure to achieve or even increase crop yield retention at the background of fertilizer reduction. We conducted a pot experiment to explore the effects of nitrogen reduction combined with organic materials on yield, photosynthetic characteristics, and product quality of agricultural products of maize-cabbage rotation system in yellow soil area of Guizhou. There were five treatments, including no fertilizer (CK), conventional fertilizer (CF), nitrogen reduction (20%, the same below) combined with biochar (RF+B), nitrogen reduction combined with rapeseed cake (RF+O), and nitrogen reduction combined with both biochar and rapeseed cake (RF+BO). Leaf photosynthetic characteristics were measured in maize (seedling stage, jointing stage, heading stage, and mature stage) and cabbage (seedling stage, growing stage and harvest stage). The biological characters, yield and quality indices were investigated in the harvest period. Compared with CF, RF+BO significantly enhanced the yield of corn and cabbage by 9.7% and 39.2%, respectively, while RF+O had no effect, and RF+B did not affet maize yield. RF+BO improved the biological properties of maize and cabbage, including the 100-kernel weight of maize, and plant height, maximum leaf length and total biomass of cabbage. Furthermore, the green holding period and high photosynthetic duration of maize and cabbage were prolonged, among which, maize leaf SPAD was increased respectively by 42.7%, 11.0%, 12.8%, and 30.3% at seedling, jointing, heading, and mature stages, the cabbage leaf SPAD was increased by 13.5%, 9.2%, and 30.3% in seedling, growing and harvest stages, respectively. The net photosynthetic rate ( P n ) of maize was increased by 11.1%, 10.9%, and 119.8% in seedling, jointing, and mature stages, while that of cabbage was increased by 12.7% and 14.6% in growing and harvest stages, respectively. The stomatal conductance ( g s ) of maize was increased by 58.3% and 41.7% in jointing and harvest stages, while that of cabbage was increased by 10%, 64.7%, and 19.2% in seedling, growing, and harvest stages, respectively. The transpiration rate ( T r ) of maize was increased by 55.0%, 10.6%, 14.0%, and 143.9% in seedling, jointing, heading, and mature stages, respectively, while that of cabbage was increased by 26.1% in growing stage. The nutritional quality of maize and cabbage was significantly improved. The contents of reducing sugar, starch, and crude protein in maize were increased by 16.2%, 3.5% and 20.3%. The contents of Vc, amino acid, and reducing sugar in cabbage were increased by 26.3%, 21.0% and 27.8%, separately. In conclusion, 20% nitrogen reduction combined with biochar and rapeseed cake had positive effects on crop growth, yield increase, green retention period, high photosynthetic duration, and agricultural product quality improvement in Guizhou yellow soil maize-cabbage rotation system, the overall effect of which was the best. Nitrogen reduction combined with single organic material overally did not affect crop yield, photosynthetic characteristics, and quality.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay is a burgeoning and promising bioanalytical method. However, the practical application of PEC still exist some challenges such as the inevitable damage of biomolecules caused by the PEC system and the unsatisfactory sensitivity for biomarkers with low abundance in real sample. To solve the problems, we integrated the cosensitized structure of Ag2S/ZnO nanocomposities as photoelectrode with photogenerated hole-induced chemical redox cycling amplification (CRCA) strategy to develop a split-type PEC immunosensor for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) with high sensitivity. Initially, the immunoreaction was carried out on the 96-well plates in which alkaline phosphatase (ALP) could catalyze ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AAP) to generate the signal-reporting species ascorbic acid (AA). Subsequently, the AA participated and the tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine (TCEP) mediated chemical redox cycling reaction took place on the photoelectrode, thus leading to signal amplification. Under the optimized conditions, the immunosensor demonstrated a detection limit (LOD) of 3.0 × 10 -15  g mL -1 with a detection range of 1.0 × 10 -14  g mL -1 to 1.0 × 10 -9  g mL -1 for cTnI. Impressively, the proposed method could determine the cTnI in human serum samples with high sensitivity and satisfactory accuracy. Considering the virtues of the photoelectrode and the chemical redox cycling strategy, the method would hold great potential for highly sensitive biosensing and bioanalysis., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant tumor of the upper aerodigestive tract. These RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) influence post-transcriptional in cells and regulate cell physiology, participate in regulating RNA stability, alternative splicing, translation, modification, localization, and apoptosis. We used RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to display dysfunctional RBPs microenvironments and provide potential useful biomarkers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) diagnosis and prognosis. Six RBPs (DNMT1, PCF11, EIF5A2, RNASE10, PSMA6, and IGF2BP2) were selected as independent prognosis factors of HNSCC patients. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were mainly enriched in RNA transport, Spliceosome, RNA degradation, mRNA surveillance pathway, and Epstein-Barr virus infection. cBioPortal results demonstrated that these six genes were altered in 150 samples out of 504 HNSCC patients (30%) and the amplification of IGF2BP2 was the largest frequent copy-number alteration. Based on the online database, we identified novel RBPs markers for the prognosis of HNSCC., (© 2021 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.)

Background: Survivin has been recently identified as a promising novel therapeutic target and prognostic marker in different types of cancer. Here we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to better clarify they the precise prognostic and diagnostic value of survivin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)., Methods: Database of PubMed (Medline), Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched for related published literature up to September 2020. Pooled hazards ratios (HR) and related 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the association of survivin expression and survival outcomes in HNSCC patients., Results: Twenty eight studies with 4891 patients were finally included in this meta-analysis, the pooled analysis indicated that the survivin expression was significantly correlated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.65-2.47, P < 0.001), and poorer disease-free survival (DFS)/ disease-specific survival (DSS) (HR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.64-2.52, P < 0.001; HR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.41-2.60, P < 0.001, receptively). Similar results were observed in subgroup analysis stratified by different cancer types, such as laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) (HR = 1.35, 95%CI: 1.05-1.74, P < 0.001), oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) (HR = 2.45, 95%CI: 1.89-3.17, P < 0.001), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) (HR = 2.53, 95%CI: 1.76-3.62, P < 0.001) and HNSCC (HR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.25-1.86, P < 0.001). Furthermore, ethnicity-stratified analysis indicated that survivin was significantly associated with poorer OS among both Asian and Non- Asian HNSCC patients (HR = 2.16, 95%CI: 1.76-2.66; HR = 1.56, 95%CI: 1.33-1.82, respectively)., Conclusions: Our results suggested that survivin is predictors of worse prognosis in HNSCC patients. Hence, survivin is a potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.

Sarcopenia is a common complication in patients with liver cirrhosis, which has an adverse effect on the clinical outcome and prognosis. Attention must be paid to early detection and active diagnosis and treatment. Clinically, the diagnosis process of finding suspicious cases can be traced through screening-assessment-diagnosis-severity evaluation. On the ground of treating liver cirrhosis and its complications, reasonable nutritional intervention and exercise are currently important measures for the treatment of liver cirrhosis with sarcopenia, and the role of hormone supplementation and drug therapy for skeletal muscle metabolism needs to be further investigated.

To select the optimum fertilizer application under specific irrigation levels and to provide a reliable fertigation system for tomato plants, an experiment was conducted by using a microporous membrane for water-fertilizer integration under non-pressure gravity. A compound fertilizer (N:P2O5:K2O, 18:7:20) was adopted for topdressing at four levels, 1290 kg/ha, 1140 kg/ha, 990 kg/ha, and 840 kg/ha, and the locally recommended level of 1875 kg/ha was used as the control to explore the effects of different fertilizer application rates on growth, nutrient distribution, quality, yield, and partial factor of productivity (PFP) in tomato. The new regime of microporous membrane water-fertilizer integration under non-pressure gravity irrigation reduced the fertilizer application rate while promoting plant growth in the early and intermediate stages. Except for the 990 kg/ha fertilizer treatment, yields per plant and per plot for each fertilizer application rate were higher than or equal to those of the control. The new regime could effectively improve PFP and reduce soil nutrient enrichment. Fertilizer at 840 kg/ha showed the optimum results by increasing PFP by 75.72% as compared to control. In conclusion, the fertilizer rate at 840 kg/ha has not only maintained the productivity of soil but also tomato growth and quality of fruit which makes the non-pressure gravity irrigation a potential and cost-effective way for fertilizer application., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: The high prevalence and incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have become a global medical concern. Compared with obesity, metabolic abnormalities may be more critical. Currently, there is lack of relevant data for nutritional status and energy metabolic characteristics in patients with obese and lean NAFLD., Methods: All the enrolled NAFLD patients were divided into 2 groups: the obese group (205 patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) and the lean group (73 patients with BMI < 25 kg/m2). Using a body composition analyzer, we analyzed their nutritional status including skeletal muscle, body fat, protein content, and visceral fat area (VFA). Energy metabolic characteristics including resting energy expenditure (REE), respiratory quotient, and oxidation rate of 3 major nutrients (carbohydrate, CHO%, fat, FAT%, and protein, PRO%) were analyzed by metabolic cart., Results: The lean NAFLD patients' LDL-c and UA even increased significantly than the obese patients (P = .001 and .006, respectively). Compared with the control group, VFA and REE were significantly higher in the lean NAFLD group (P = .008, P < .001 respectively). CHO%, FAT%, and PRO% in the lean NAFLD group were 29.31 ± 7.07%, 55.59 ± 12.09%, and 15.10 ± 4.07%, respectively, and there was no significant difference compared to the control. However, compared to the obese NAFLD group, their CHO% increased, whereas FAT% decreased (both P < .001)., Conclusion: NAFLD patients suffer from nutritional imbalances and energy metabolic abnormalities, regardless of whether they are associated with obesity. LDL, UA, VFA, and REE can be used as good evaluation indicators.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a malignant tumor of the upper aerodigestive tract. The loss and gain of miRNA function promote cancer development through various mechanisms. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and miRNAs sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used to show the dysfunctional miRNAs microenvironment and to provide useful biomarkers for miRNAs therapy. Seven miRNAs were found to be independent prognostic factors of HNSCC patients in the training cohort. A total of 60 target genes for these miRNAs were predicted. Nine target genes (CDCA4, CXCL14, FLNC, KLF7, NBEAL2, P4HA1, PFKM, PFN2 and SEPPINE1) were correlated with patient's overall survival (OS) outcomes. We identified novel miRNAs markers for the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Thromboembolism is a life-threatening, limb-threatening or organ-threatening complication that occurs in patients with primary nephrotic syndrome (NS). There are few studies on the spectrum, complications and outcomes of thrombosis in children with NS. This study aimed to determine the spectrum of thrombosis and its relationship with the nephrotic state, treatment and outcomes in children and adolescents with primary NS., Methods: The medical records of subjects aged 1-18 years with NS complicated with thromboembolism treated at our centre within the last 26 years were retrieved. Data on the status of NS, site, symptoms and signs, laboratory investigations, diagnosis, treatment, complications and outcomes of thrombosis were collected and reviewed retrospectively. A severe complication was defined as a condition associated with thrombosis requiring a special diagnostic modality to confirm or a specific treatment such as surgical intervention. The outcome of thrombosis was defined as the status of thrombosis, as determined by imaging methods and the functional status with respect to the anatomic sites of thrombosis at the last follow-up. The permanent dysfunction of an organ or limb related to thrombosis was defined as a sequela., Results: We observed thrombosis in 1.4% (27/1995) of subjects with NS during the study period. There were 27 subjects with thrombosis, including 21 males and 6 females. Thrombosis was observed in 51.9% (14/27) of the study participants with steroid resistant NS. Most episodes of thrombosis occurred during the active stage of NS; however, 7.4% of thrombosis cases occurred during the remission of proteinuria. Renal vein thrombosis (33.3%) and pulmonary embolism (25.9%) were the most common types of thrombosis. Among the 17 subjects biopsied, minimal change disease and membranous nephropathy were the two most common findings. Six (22.2%) subjects experienced severe complications or sequelae; 1 had persistent intracranial hypertension, 1 had intestinal perforation, 1 had hypoxemia and pulmonary hypertension, 1 had lameness, 1 had epilepsy, and 1 had an askew mouth due to facial paralysis. In 19 (70.4%) subjects, the symptoms resolved completely or improved without severe complications or sequelae., Conclusions: Thrombosis mostly occurred in males of school age during the active stage of NS. Renal vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were the most common types of thrombosis. In most patients with thrombosis, the symptoms improved completely without complications with standard anticoagulation therapy. However, 22.2% had severe complications or sequelae requiring an advanced diagnostic modality and aggressive treatment.

We explored the effects of sub-low temperature and drought on water transport in tomato seedlings under normal temperature (25 ℃ day/18 ℃ night) and sub-low temperature (15 ℃ day/8 ℃ night) within the artificial climate chamber, and under normal irrigation (75%-85% field water holding capacity) and drought treatment (55%-65% field water holding capacity). We analyzed the effects of temperature and soil moisture on water transport, stomata and xylem vessel morpholo-gical and anatomical structure of tomato plants. The results showed that compared with condition of normal temperature + normal irrigation, drought treatment significantly reduced leaf water potential, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, hydraulic conductance, sap flow rate, stomatal length, and diameter of leaf, stem and root conduit, and thus thickened the cell wall and enhanced the anti-embolism ability of conduit in leaf, stem and root. Leaf water potential, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, hydraulic conductance, and conduit diameter in leaf, stem and root were significantly reduced by sub-low temperature treatment, but the stomata became larger, cell wall was thickened and the anti-embolism ability was enhanced in leaf, stem and root conduit. Under sub-low temperature condition, soil moisture did not affect leaf water potential, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, hydraulic conductance, stomatal morphology, conduit structure of leaf and root. In conclusion, under drought treatment, the homeostasis in water relationship was obtained by the coordination of leaf, stem and root structure. Under sub-low temperature treatment, the regulation of water relationship was mainly dependent on the changes of conduit structure in leaf and root, which was less affected by soil moisture.

Objectives: To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of the patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia and investigate the strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Methods: Three hundred and fourteen patients (180 males, 134 females) with isolated methylmalonic acidemia were ascertained from 26 provinces or cities across the mainland of China during January 1998 to March 2020. Genetic analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing, gene panel sequencing, whole exome sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification or quantitative PCR. According to the age of onset, the patients were divided to early-onset group (≤12 months of age) and the late-onset group (>12 months of age). They were treated by cobalamin, L-carnitine and (or) special diet and symptomatic treatment. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test. Results: Fifty-eight of 314 (18.5%) patients were detected by Newborn screening using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Five cases (1.6%) had a postmortem diagnosis. Two hundred and fifty-one patients (79.9%) were clinically diagnosed with an age of onset ranged from 3 hours after birth to 18 years. One hundred and fifty-nine patients (71.0%) belonged to early-onset groups, 65 patients (29.0%) belonged to the late-onset group. The most common symptoms were metabolic crises, psychomotor retardation, epilepsy, anemia and multiple organ damage. Metabolic acidosis and anemia were more common in early-onset patients than that in late-onset patients (20.8%(33/159) vs. 9.2% (6/65), 34.6% (55/159) vs. 16.9% (11/165), χ(2)=4.261, 6.930, P= 0.039, 0.008). Genetic tests were performed for 236 patients (75.2%), 96.2%(227/236) had molecular confirmation. One hundred and twenty-seven variants were identified in seven genes (MMUT, MMAA, MMAB, MMADHC, SUCLG1, SUCLA2, and MCEE), of which 49 were novel. The mut type, caused by the deficiency of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, was the most common ( n= 211, 93%) cause of this condition. c.729&#95;730insTT, c.1106G>A and c.914T>C were the three most frequent mutations in MMUT gene. The frequency of c.914T>C in early-onset patients was significantly higher than that in late-onset patients (8.3% (18/216) vs. 1.6% (1/64), χ(2)=3.859, P= 0.037). Metabolic crisis was more frequent in mut type than the other types (72.6% (114/157) vs. 3/13, χ(2)=13.729, P= 0.001),developmental delay and hypotonia were less frequent in mut type (38.2% (60/157) vs. 9/13, 25.5% (40/157) vs. 8/13, χ(2)=4.789, 7.705, P= 0.030, 0.006). Of the 58 patients identified by newborn screening, 44 patients (75.9%) who were treated from asymptomatic phase developed normally whereas 14 patients (24.1%) who received treatment after developing symptoms exhibited varying degrees of psychomotor retardation. Conclusions: The characteristics of phenotypes and genotypes among Chinese patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia were analyzed. Expanded the mutation spectrum of the associated genes. Because of the complex clinical manifestations and severe early onset of isolated methylmalonic acidemia, Newborn screening is crucial for early diagnosis and improvement of prognosis. MMUT gene is recommended for carrier screening as an effort to move the test earlier as a part of the primary prevention of birth defects.